Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing

Cakes
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan)/350ºF/Gas Mark 4
1. Line a muffin tray with muffin cases or cupcake cases. This recipe will make 10 large cupcakes (as pictured) or 15-20 smaller ones.
2. Mix the soya milk and cider vinegar in a bowl and then set aside for 10 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients.
4. Add the soya/cider vinegar mixture then the oil and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Only combine the wet and dry ingredients together just before you are ready to put them in the oven.
5. Stir everything together using a metal spoon but not too much, only until everything is combined.
6. Tap the bowl onto the work surface to stop the raising agents working too quickly (this is a tip courtesy of the amazing Ms Cupcake!)
7. Fill the cupcake cases to ¾ full and tap the tray again.
8. Place in the oven and bake for 15-25 minutes depending on the size of the cupcake. They are cooked when a skewer stuck into one comes out clean.
9. Remove from the oven and leave to cool thoroughly before icing.

Icing
1. Whisk together the margarine, vegetable shortening and vanilla either by hand or electric whisk.
2. Add the icing sugar, a quarter at a time, along with the plant milk and cocoa powder until combined.
3. You can add more icing sugar or plant milk if the icing gets too wet or too dry.
4. Add your favourite cupcake nozzle to a piping bag (these can be bought from supermarkets, online and kitchen shops) and then fill with the icing.
5. Pipe onto the cakes. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a pallet knife.
6. Decorate with fresh berries, 100’s and 1000’s, or vegan-friendly cake decorations.